Alley Investment Management Company LLC Has $18.20 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Alley Investment Management Company LLC reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 8.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,453 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,862 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 2.1% of Alley Investment Management Company LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Alley Investment Management Company LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the second quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer's stock worth $200,372,000 after buying an additional 13,795 shares in the last quarter. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,300,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer's stock worth $148,193,000 after buying an additional 6,200 shares in the last quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer's stock worth $64,325,000 after buying an additional 5,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd as trustee for Retail Employees Superannuation Trust bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $5,813,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Freedom Broker raised Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $1,030.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $1,144.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,056.03.

Key Costco Wholesale News

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Expansion supports long-term growth: Costco plans to open 14 warehouses across the United States and Canada before the end of 2026, including five in October and nine in November. New locations could increase membership, sales and recurring fee revenue. Costco set to expand with 14 new warehouses across US and Canada
• Positive Sentiment: A relocated Newport News warehouse is scheduled to open in November, providing additional capacity and potentially improving the customer experience in that market. Relocated Newport News Costco set to open in November
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Broker upgraded COST to Buy, offering supportive analyst sentiment after the stock’s recent underperformance. Costco Wholesale Raised to Buy at Freedom Broker
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Costco’s efforts to improve shopping convenience and add seasonal merchandise, initiatives that may strengthen member loyalty and spending relative to Walmart and Amazon. Costco fixed the one thing members hated about shopping there
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data showed zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, but the reported increase was listed as “NaN,” making the figures unreliable and unlikely to provide a meaningful trading signal.
• Neutral Sentiment: A profile of a well-paid Costco meat cutter underscores the company’s wages, benefits and employee retention, but has limited direct impact on near-term financial results. Costco employee discusses wages and career choice
• Negative Sentiment: Costco reportedly shut down its online Marketplace service, raising questions about e-commerce execution and the company’s ability to compete digitally. Costco abruptly shuts down Marketplace online service
• Negative Sentiment: Residents near the planned Lee’s Summit warehouse are concerned about traffic, potentially causing permitting, construction or community-relations friction. Residents concerned Costco’s new Lee’s Summit location will cause traffic issues
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues Costco may have lost part of its competitive edge and questions whether the stock’s premium valuation is justified after recent underperformance. Cramer warns Costco may have lost its edge

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth Denman sold 885 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $902.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50. The company's 50 day moving average price is $941.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $974.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $400.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.86.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.58%.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally competitive prices. Its product range includes groceries, fresh foods, apparel, appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal goods, along with private-label products sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.

The company also provides a variety of ancillary services, including gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical centers, hearing-aid centers, food courts, tire centers, and travel services.

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